USS Defiant (2375)
| Registry= NCC-75633 NX-74205 | Affiliation= Federation/Starfleet | Status= Active | Datestatus= 2375 }} :"She's got some big shoes to fill." ::- Captain Benjamin Sisko ( ) The USS ''Defiant, originally '''USS ''São Paulo', was a escort assigned to Deep Space 9 in the final weeks of the Dominion War. It was one of at least three Federation starships to carry the name ''Defiant, and the second Defiant-class ship to bear the name. History Benjamin Sisko on the new USS Defiant bridge.]] The USS Sao Paulo was launched from the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards in late 2375 on stardate 52889.3. As one of the first new starships launched from Federation shipyards after the disastrous Second Battle of Chin'toka, the Sao Paulo was immediately assigned to the front lines at Deep Space 9 as a replacement for the . The Sao Paulo was equipped with redesigned deflector shield generators to counteract the Breen energy dampening weapon, which had decimated the allied fleet at Chin'toka. Upon taking command of the Sao Paulo on stardate 52891.3, Captain Benjamin Sisko received a special dispensation from the Chief of Starfleet Operations to change the vessel's name to USS Defiant, after the original, which had been destroyed by Breen forces in the Second Battle of Chin'toka. ( ) The new Defiant was slightly modified from the prototype. On the bridge, the consoles alongside the captain's chair had been redesigned, and the aft operations table replaced with a free-standing console. In addition, the ship's shield generators had been completely reconfigured, as had its internal furnishing - a fact bemoaned by Julian Bashir upon boarding the vessel. Unlike the previous ship, the new Defiant was not equipped with a Romulan cloaking device. The Defiant participated in the Battle of Cardassia, the last battle of the war. She suffered at least three casualties, with eight wounded in Phase One, it is unknown if any were suffered in Phase Two. Familiar with the individual characteristics of the old Defiant, the crew found it difficult to equate the one with the other, Nog noting that the new Defiant was "a little sluggish". The vessel lacked the worn-in combat capability and effectiveness of the prototype, but acquitted herself well during the battle. ( ) Command crew As with the previous , this vessels assignment to Deep Space 9 meant that crew compliment varied by mission. * Captain Benjamin Sisko - commanding officer (CO) * Lieutenant Commander Worf - first officer/security chief/tactical officer * Lieutenant Julian Bashir - chief medical officer (CMO) * Lieutenant junior grade Ezri Dax - counselor/communications officer * Ensign Nog - CONN * Senior Chief Petty Officer Miles O'Brien - chief engineer Appendices Background The São Paulo s motto was "Give me Liberty or give me Death...", a quote by Patrick Henry. The ship was "named for the people of Brazil." This motto is in the same spirit as the famous words "Independência ou Morte" ("Independence or Death") said by Dom Pedro I, when he declared Brazil's independence from Portugal. The dedication plaque includes the names of 46 Star Trek executives including Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Ira Steven Behr, David Livingston, Ronald D. Moore, Peter Lauritson, Rene Echevarria, Steve Oster, and "Chief of Staff" Gene Roddenberry. There is a conflict as to what the new Defiant s registry number really was. Although the dedication plaque on the bridge gave the registry as NCC-75633, external CGI images seen in repeated the old Defiant registry as a result of the extensive use of stock footage from earlier episodes, including and , and the new footage continued with this for consistency. In the Star Trek Deep Space Nine Companion, Ron Moore stated that he intended for the ship to be designated "Defiant-A" but it wasn't shown on screen because it would have been prohibitive to repaint and reshoot the model for one episode. The original Defiant's cloaking device was lost when the ship was destroyed by the Breen. Since the treaty modification with the Romulans only allowed for the use of one cloaking device for one ship, the new Defiant most likely has no cloaking capability. Apocrypha In the comics miniseries Star Trek: Divided We Fall, set after "What We Leave Behind," the Defiant is depicted with the NX-74205 registry. In Books One and Two of the duology Avatar, the first books in a series set after "What We Leave Behind", the Defiant is described as having been fitted with a new Romulan cloaking device, the Romulan Senate having recognized the strategic importance of the Defiant as the first line of defense against any future Dominion attack through the wormhole. Avatar also depicts the Defiant in battle, defending DS9 from a group of rogue Jem'Hadar who attack the station, which at the time was undergoing a refit and was barely able to defend itself. The Defiant s commander, and DS9's recently acquired second in command, Tiris Jast, was killed in the attack, spurring Ezri Dax to take command. In a desperate attempt to stop the Jem'Hadar, Dax and Nog used the Defiant s warhead module - a last ditch weapon which fired the Defiant s nose section, containing the deflector and a complement of photon torpedoes. In the next books, Abyss and Demons of Air and Darkness, the Defiant is commanded by DS9's new first officer Elias Vaughn. Following on from those, in the four book miniseries Mission Gamma, Vaughn commands the Defiant on a three month voyage of exploration through the Gamma Quadrant. The São Paulo was also a playable starship in the video game Star Trek: Legacy for a level set in the year 2380, possibly indicating that after the war had ended, the ship reverted back to its original name. It is equally possible that, due to the original São Paulo being immediately re-named Defiant, another Defiant-class vessel was named the São Paulo. External link * de:USS Sao Paulo ja:USSディファイアント(NCC-75633) nl:USS São Paulo pl:U.S.S. "Sao Paulo" NCC-75633 Defiant, USS, NCC-75633